Awakened Polarity
Awakened Polarity 10/21/17 Trigrams: 16 points Languages: Chinese, Manchu, Tibetan. Scripts: Chinese, Classical Chinese, Korean, Latin, Tibetan. Weaponry: Notable Equipment and Resources: Mechanical Arm: Mingxia lost an arm in an lab accident; fortunately, this was a temporary set back, as she had both the wisdom and know-how to build a replacement, as well as a life-long secret desire to see if she could be a machine. So really, it all works out for the best. The mechanical arm is powered by her own internal energy, meaning it requires no external power source. The arm grants her a +1 bonus to melee and hand to hand damage, and a -1 to Sleight of Hand checks. Multi-Driver: One doesn't build a robot arm just to not ''put various gadgets in it. The industrial ancestor of the sonic screwdriver or omnitool, the multi-driver is an all-purpose handheld motorized tool. It contains drillbits, screwdrivers, sawblades, electrical igniters, flashlights, and a number of other functions. it's an indispensable aid in a breaking and entering, as well as various tasks around the house. Saw Blade: Included in that mechanical arm is a retractable vibrating blade. When deployed, it adds the wounding property to her strikes, increasing wounds to unarmored targets by one level, but decreasing wounds to armored ones by one level. '' Xingyi:' ''Xingyiquan (“Form-Thought Boxing”) i is a Daoist style of martial arts, based around the Five Phases of Matter. It is notorious for hitting really, really hard. ''Taijiquan: ''Taijiquan (“Grand Ultimate Boxing”) is another Daoist martial art, built around the principle of yielding and flowing with an opponent. Autocycle: Mingxia built this autocycle herself. Unlike most cycles, which run on a miniature steam engine, hers is powered entirely by electrical batteries. She calls it “Stormchaser.” Modest Lifestyle: Mingxia cares little for money, which is why she doesn't have any of it. Talents: '''Invoke the Heavens!' The geomancer's art is to harness the forces of nature; at the core of this is controlling the conditions of the weather. By summoning wind and rain, the geomancer can manipulate the field of play, making certain abilities more effective and others less. Below is a table of various weather conditions, as well as their effects. Weather Type: ''The type of weather in question. ''Successes Needed: ''The number of successes need to conjure or banish a given type of weather. For example, it requires five successes to either conjure a thunderstorm or dispel one. ''Powers Effected: ''Other geomancy powers that are effected by the weather conditions; this applies to all geomancers in the area, not just the one with control of the weather. ''Visibility: ''The maximum range at which one can see or make a ranged attack against another character. Short range is about thirty feet, medium range is about a hundred feet, and long range is as far as the eye can see. ''Skills Effected: ''The mundane skills effected by the weather. As visibility and traction are reduced by wind and precipitation, it becomes more difficult to aim ranged weapons, spot hidden foes, and so on. For every two successes the geomancer makes on their roll, they are able to reduce skills tied to the relevant skills by -1C. The geomancer who conjures the weather is never adversely affected by it. The weather affects the entirety of the geomancer's surroundings. In addition to the obvious effects, certain powers become more effective during certain weather conditions. Storms make it easier to conjure wind, while rain makes it harder to conjure fire, and so on. Weather and effects are as follows: ''Fog: Thick fog fills the air, decreasing visibility. Heatwave: ''The temperature raises to unbearable heights, sapping endurance from all afflicted. ''Rain: ''Heavy rain falls, extinguishing fires. Anyone lit on fire is immediately put out, and does not suffer prolonged burn damage. ''Snow: ''Snow, sleet, hail, and freezing rain fall, making surfaces slick and slippery while reducing visibility. Like rain, fires are extinguished, and there is no prolonged burn damage from incendiary weapons. ''High Winds: ''Winds blow and buffet about, making it difficult to aim ranged weapons. The geomancer may wish to direct the winds towards particular targets, knocking them off of ledges and such; in this case, the geomancy check is opposed by the target's Evasion or Acrobatics. High-powered wind storms can form tornadoes and cyclones. ''Dust Storm: ''The geomancer summons high heat and dry wind, blowing dust and sand through the air, reducing visibility and sapping moisture. ''Rainstorm: ''Heavy rain and high winds fill the air, making it hard to see and move. Fires are automatically extinguished, as with rainfall. High-powered rainstorms can form typhoons and hurricanes. ''Blizzard: ''High winds whip the snow through the air, making it hard to see, move, or do much of anything. As with all snow and rain effects, fires are extinguished. ''Thunderstorm: ''Like a rainstorm, plus thunderbolts. Fires are extinguished. ''Thundersnow: ''Perhaps the most devastating weather condition that can be conjured, thunder snow combines a blizzard with an electrical storm. Counter: If a geomancer is controlling the weather, another geomancer with this talent may, on his own round, make a geomancy roll of their to take control of the weather, changing it as he sees fit. '''Heavenly Thunderbolt!' By spending a point of Breath, you may strike down a target with lightning, either called from the sky or discharged from the very tips of your fingers. When attacking, Make a single Geomancy check for attack and damage. As a weapon, the lightning bolt is considered to have a Long range, ignores armor that is not shockproof, has the electrical stun property, and can be used to make area attacks like a grenade. At the narrator's discretion, this ability may have other applications, such as recharging or overloading electrical machinery. Counter: When targeted with a direct electrical attack (such another Geomancer's thunder or from certain high tech weaponry), you may roll spend a point of Breath to make a Geomancy check to absorb and redirect the lightning. If successful, the lightning bolt may either redirected either back at the caster or at a third party. Breath of Winter! You can conjure ice and cold, turning water to ice. Spend a point of Breath to activate this talent, and make a geomancy check. When targeting the environment, you can cover roughly five square feet per success in a layer of ice, potentially creating ice slicks on roads or bridges across frozen water. When targeting a foe, make a Geomancy check for both attack and damage. Like all Geomancy attacks, Breath of Winter is Long ranged, ignores armor, and can be used to make area attacks. Those damaged by it are temporarily Numbed, and lose the ability to expend Breath for the next round. Roil the Earth! By shaking the very leylines that run through the earth, You can create small but powerful localized earthquakes. Spend a point of Breath, and roll a geomancy check to determine the strength of the tremor; Any caught in falling rubble or otherwise affected violently must roll Evasion and Fortitude against your geomancy, as per a normal attack. The tremor is treated as an area attack; when targeting multiple foes, the caster suffers a -1 penalty to Geomancy per target (thus, targeting two foes incurs a -2, three foes a -3, etc.). By spending two points of Breath, the Geomancer may When used on water, this technique causing violent waves, upswells, and whirlpools, scuttling small boats and sending large ones tumbling. Similarly, anyone caught in the wake must roll Evasion and Fortitude against damage from crashing waves and shattering timbers. Counter: ''Another Geomancer may attempt to seize control of the leylines, pacifying or redirecting the quake. '''Shocking Fist Technique!' You can separate the positive and negative energies in your own body, creating electrical discharges from your skin. While active, your unarmed attacks and any metal weapons you may be wielding gain the Shocking effect, dealing Breath damage as well as physical damage. Anyone who strikes you unarmed or with a metal weapon is Shocked, losing a point of Breath. When this ability is active, you take no damage from electrical attacks (though physical attacks with an electrical component still deal their physical damage), and are able to absorb the energy into yourself, gaining Breath equal to that which you would have lost. This ability requires one point of Breath per round to keep active. Light Body Technique! You have studied the art of Qinggong, ''the ability to make the body more light and agile. When you activate it, your body functions as though it is light as a leaf. You can stand on objects that could normally not support your weight, such as willow branches, still water, or the spears of your enemies. You cannot fly, but you can glide through the air, losing one foot of height for every teen feet traveled. Your gliding speed is matched to your running speed. This ability requires one point of Breath per round to keep active. '''Dance of the Thunder God!' Your mastery of electricity is without peer, and the electrical currents you produce are of terrifying power. Whenever you shock a foe, the Breath damage they take is doubled. Biography: This is the tale of two sisters who defied fate. The Zhao sisters are identical twins, orphaned by war and left on the streets. Zhao Mingxia was adopted by the master of a Taoist temple; Zhao Hualian was adopted by the mistress of a bordello. Growing up in the brothel, the young Hualian was initially only a servant: scrubbing floors, carrying water, and so on. However, as she approached the age of maturity, she expected to enter the courtesan's line of work, and was taught the art of music, conversation, and seduction, all of which she displayed no talent for whatsoever. When she came of age, her mistress offered her the choice of either taking up the profession, or being turned out on the street. She was given a list of potential clients who were vying for the privilege of being her first customer, and told she had a week to make her decision. Outraged and disgusted, Hualian sought consolation with her sister. Though fate had conspired to tear them apart, they had kept in touch through the years, often meeting clandestinely. Mingxia – who despised life in the temple as much as Hulian did in the brothel – offered a proposal. The two sisters would trade places, adopting one another's lives and one another's identities. Mingxia would become Hualian, and Hualian would become Mingxia. The young girl traded her rouge and her fine silk for the robes of a novice, and took up the life her sister had forsaken. Zhao Hualian – now calling herself Mingxia – found herself as well suited to life in the temple as she was ill-suited to life in the brothel. The temple was devoted to a scientific school of Daoism, seeking harmony with nature through the study of the heavens, the earth, and the laws of nature. Through harmonizing with the natural world, Mingxia unlocked great Daoist power, commanding fire and wind and earth as allies. As she delved deeper in the secrets of heaven and earth, she began to incur the jealousy of other researchers in the temple. Another acolyte sabotaged an experiment she was running, causing an explosion that cost her an arm; ever the optimist, she saw this an opportunity for yet another experiment. Enlisting the aid of the physician Doctor Hu Wenxiao, she crafted herself a mechanical arm to replace the limb she had lost. Doctor Hu, in turn, enlisted her aid in a project of his own – repairing the badly damaged renegade automaton Iron Pen. Personality: Like any proper Daoist, Mingxia maintains a serenely positive and generally unflappable demeanor. Her mind is like a hive of bees, eagerly flitting from one idea to the next, working in perfect harmony with each other and apparent chaos to the outside world. Her personal beliefs would be best described as Anarcho-Daoism – she believes that humankind was meant to live freely in harmony with one another, and those aggregate power over others are disrupting the natural order and creating suffering. Growing up poor, she has branded herself a defender of the common folk against those who would exploit them. Appearance: In stark contrast to her sister, Mingxia prefers plain, durable clothing that she doesn't have to worry about ruining. She typically dresses in the robes of a Taoist adept, often with the addition of a tool belt and welding goggles for when she is at work in the lab. Her left arm is completely mechanical, which tends to stand out. The same accident left her hair completely white, which also tends to stand out. Playstyle: Awakened Polarity is a technology and mysticism character, given her a wide range of unique and colorful abilities. Through her mastery of geomancy, she can control the weather and the forces of nature, summoning earthquakes, hurricanes, and thunderbolts as her allies. By creating certain weather types, she can make her own abilities more powerful while diminishing those of her foes. Many of her abilities build off of each other; by combing Invoke the Heavens with Light Body Technique, she can buoy herself on gusts of wind, flying through the air. By combining Shocking Fist Technique with Heavenly Thunderbolt, she can recharge her own Breath. Relationships: Though she does not understand her, Mingxia lovers her sister dearly, and the two would give their lives for each other. Though she has taken note of the interest that Sanguine Clarity has taken in herself and Jade Butterfly, Mingxia has yet to figure out that the older woman is her long-absent mother. During their time together, Mingxia has found herself falling in love with the Automaton poet Iron Pen; she has never been able to speak her feelings, and keeps them hidden. Unbeknownst to her, Iron Pen loves her as well, but considers his mechanical form a curse that makes him unsuitable for her affections.